advice from the late dealer, Neil Kohut

I have always made a point of gaining superior knowledge of my fields of interest in order to seek and find the best pieces for my money. Even today, I probably buy two or three books a month. As I said with the Meschi book, a thorough knowledge of what Carder’s contemporaries were doing helps in identifying Steuben. When you learn what is different about how the masters were working, designing, adapting etc., then you will instantly know when a piece of Durand, Loetz or ????? is for sale as Steuben. More importantly, you will know those pieces being sold with multiple attributions. The more knowledge you gain, the more capable a buyer you become by studying the glass of the other great makers you will realize the subtleties that make Carder’s work unique. Believe me, it is essential knowledge sometimes, you marvel at the number of fake signatures or altered pieces I can find. There really is no secret. I study design, construction, color and technique. Even without conscious thought, every piece gets evaluated by those criteria. Do I make mistakes? Sure, I do, but at a greatly reduced incidence.